MAX MILLENNIUM FLARE GENESIS _SOHO JOP 117_ # 004

Scientific Goals  |  Participating Observatories  |  Space Mission Observing Program  | Target | Scheduling Considerations




TITLE: The build-up and triggering Solar Flares
AUTHORS:  Dave Rust ( david.rust@jhuapl.edu ) JHUAPL
Brigitte Schmieder (Brigitte.Schmieder@obspm.fr) Observatoire de Paris
VERSION: Version : 28/10/1999-22/11/1999 
SUMMARY: As a Max Millennium Coordinated Observing Campaign, this campaign has the following p urpose: 
  • We propose a JOP to study the genesis and development of solar flares, using high cadence, high resolution, multi-thermal imaging from Yohkoh/SXT, EIT and TRACE, and spectral measurements from SoHO/SUMER (if it is still open), SoHO/CDS. The priority in this JOP is image cadence, and as such, field-of-view will be sacrificed where necessary (Flare Genesis has a 100 x 100 arcsec FOV).

SCIENTIFIC GOALS

Science goal here is the study of the pre-flare build-up of the magnetically unstable conditions. We are also interested in field extrapolation into the corona using other magnetograms, and in pre-heating as shown in UV, soft X-rays and hard X-ray information if available. Also, we are interested in magnetic developments during flares and afterward. E.g., is there some kind of relaxation of the field?

GBO OBSERVING PROGRAM

Participating Observatories:
OVRO Solar Array details Contact: Dale E. Gary, NJIT or Kjell Nelin, OVRO
Big Bear Solar Observatory details Contact: Haimin Wang, NJIT or Bill Marquette, BBSO
Mees Solar Observatory details Contact: Barry Labonte, Mees Solar Obs, IfA
Siberian Solar Radio Telescope details Contact: Alexander Altyntsev, SSRT
Kitt Peak details Contact: Jack Harvey, NSO
Nobeyama Radioheliograph details Contact: Kiyoto Shibasaki, NRO
Marshall Space Flight Center details Contact: Mona Hagyard, MSFC
Meudon Observatory details Contact: Jean-Marie Malherbe, Observatoire de Paris
Alfred University H-alpha Video System details Contact: F. David Toot, Alfred U
RATAN 600 Radiotelescope details Contact: Vladimir Bogod, Ratan
HAO Mauna Loa Observatory details Contact: Joan Burkepile, HAO
Nançay Radioheliograph details Contact: Nicole Vilmer, Meudon
Kharkov Astronomical Observatory details Contact: Gennady Marchenko, Kharkov State U
Crimean Astrophysical Observatory details Contact: N.N. Stepanian, CRAO
Mitaka/Tokyo, NAOJ details Contact: Takashi Sakurai, NAOJ
Oporto Radiospectrograph details Contact: A. S. de Magalhaes, U Porto
Hiraiso Solar Terrestrial Research Center details Contact: Maki Akioka, NRC
Trieste Astronomical Observatory details Contact: Mauro Messerotti, TAO
IZMIRAN details Contact: Boris Ioshpa, IZMIRAN
San Fernando Observatory details Contact: Gary Chapman, CSUN
PHOENIX Radio Spectrometer details Contact: Arnold Benz, ETH, Zurich
Hida Solar Observatory details Contact: Hiroki Kurokawa, Kyoto University
Ondrejov Observatory details Contact: Petr HEINZEL or  Karel JIRICKA Ondrejov Obs
Very Large Array Radiotelescope details Contact: Rob Willson, Tufts University
Sac Peak Coronal Photometer details Contact: Dick Altrock, NSO
Brazilian Solar Spectroscope details Contact: Francisco Fernandes, INPE
Argentina HASTA and MICA details Contact: Cristina Mandrini , IAFE
Kanzelhoehe Solar Observatory details Contact: Wolfgang Otruba, KSO, or Michael Steinegger, Univ. Graz
Kodaikanal Observatory details Contact: K. M. Hiremath, Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Huairou Observatory (Beijing) details Contact: Y.Deng , Beijing Astronomical Observatory

SPACE MISSION OBSERVING PROGRAM

FLARE GENESIS TELESCOPE
4 vector magnetograms and 4 H-alpha images per hour continuously

 
SOHO
This campaign is linked with SOHO JOP 117 (Coordinator: Stein Vidar Haughan)
SoHO-EIT: Fe XII 195 or occasionally Helium 304 Angstrom observations at 15 minute cadence or faster (J.Gurman and Barbara Thompson)
SoHO-CDS: Spectroheliograms of target active region in FeXVI, MgX, OV and He1, with a field of view of 240"x240". As high a cadence as the above restrictions allow. Contingencies exist for switching to a line combination involving higher-temperature iron lines, e.g., Fe XIX, if a flare is observed during real-time contact; this would be very desirable for observing flare and post-flare line-shifts. (Eddie Breeveld and Andrzej Fludra)
CDS promises 4-8 hours on occasional days during the period using LARGEBP2. (Richard Harrison)
SoHO-SUMER: WILL BE CLOSE (probably)
SoHO-MDI: High cadence magnetograms if in hi-res FOV, otherwise whatever MDI is doing at the time.

 
Yohkoh

Chief observers: Hugh Hudson and Nariaki Nitta

HXT - LOW channel if available - no special observation mode
(included for information)
SXT - Filters - Al.1/AlMg
Pointing - fixed pointing on target selected by SXT CO and FGE
Duration - Continuously for 4 days
Exposures - fixed maximum exposure to avoid problems of not
sitting on brightest active region (when applicable)
F-O-V - to cover active region - 2X2 PFI (?)
Cadence - not an issue Fixed pointing is suggested to make sure that pre-flare data for flare occurring in TRACE f-o-v is obtained. SXT will catch all 'daytime' flares as usual of course .

 
TRACE

Planner (Brian Handy)
TRACE - Filters - (195 or 171)* and 1600A F-O-V - restricted TRACE f-o-v (384"x384") Cadence - maximum possible with above filter complement Note (*) the EUV filters will be alternated, starting with 195. In other words when the JOP starts, TRACE will run this part of the program with rapid interleaved 195/1600 images until a flare is detected. At the next available opportunity (in practise this will be the next day) the filter will be changed in preparation for the next flare, so that rapid interleaved 171/1600 images will be taken in Part 1. Further, the filter for the impulsive phase study and the filter for the preflare study will be the same, except if the 284 filter is being used for the impulsive phase. In that case, the preflare images will be 195 images

TARGET

Target selection will be made by the SXT Chief Observer (Hugh Hudson and Nariaki Nitta ). The target will be the brightest active region on the sun, since this is the standard and safest mode of operation for SXT. The target will be decided between the chief observer and the ISAS goup. However, we request that only act ive regions within half a solar radius of disk center be selected, because Flare Genesis is a vector magnetograph. Our instrument will only exceptionally be pointed at another region, (e.g., one which is flaring repeatedly). In both cases we hope to stick with the target for a few days, rather than 'flare chase' although the situation will be reassessed by the SXT_CO and the Flare Genesis chief observer on a daily basis. If a flare occurs in a region other than the target region, i.e., other than the brightest region on the sun, SXT will by default go to this region for flare observations. This is just bad luck. The campaign is managed by MAX MILLENNIUM service (Canfield Dick -canfield@physics.montana.edu, A.Davey - davey@physics.montana.edu)

Target selection will be announced by e-mail daily by 18:00 UT for the day following, using the Max Millennium MOTD list (Canfield Dick, A.Davey - davey@physics.montana.edu)
If you are not on that list but would like to subscribe, go to the MOTD list at:
http://solar.physics.montana.edu/max_millennium/mmlists.shtml

SCHEDULING CONSIDERATIONS

The JOP is to be run during the flight of the Flare Genesis Experiment (see http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/Fl areGenesis) in Antarctica. It is expected that this flight will start in mid-December 1999. The launchwindow ope ns about December 10 and closes about January 10. In an ideal observing run, this program should be run continuously for the expected duration of the flight: 10 - 14 days. The primary objective is to understand the magnetic and chromospheric conditions that lead up to a flare. A secondary objective is high-cadence observations of the pre-flare changes and impulsive phase. for the entire observing period.